Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction: wresting an alphabet; 1. Shakespeare without words: the nineteenth-century legacy; 2. Biograph's pioneering film of King John (1899); 3. Conflicted allegiances in Shakespeare films of the transitional era; 4. Corporate authorship: the Shakespeare films of the Vitagraph Company of America; 5. Pedigree and performance codes in silent films of Hamlet; 6. Shakespeare films of the 1916 tercentenary; 7. Asta Nielsen and Emil Jannings: stars of German Shakespeare films of the early 1920s; 8. Afterword: 'No tongue, all eyes! Be silent': performing wordless Shakespeare today; Filmography: A. Commercially available Shakespeare films of the silent era; B. General filmography; Bibliography.

Promotional Information

This book tells the story of the many Shakespeare films made in the silent era, analysing a wide selection in detail.

About the Author

Judith Buchanan is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies in the Department of English and Related Literature, University of York.

Reviews

Review of the hardback: 'This is an important contribution to the study of Shakespeare on film … it is meticulous, informative and critically sophisticated, written in a clear, persuasive and elegant style. It brings new ideas and perspectives to familiar films, stimulates interest in others and overall makes an outstanding contribution to its field.' Russell Jackson, University of Birmingham

Review of the hardback: 'Buchanan makes a major contribution to both cinema studies and Shakespeare studies, explaining why these silent films are not just Shakespeare manqué but valuable objects in their own right. The book places the films within the legacy of Victorian entertainments from the magic lantern to the stage and uses them to open up the era of silent film-making with insights into institutions, audiences and contemporary values. Buchanan vividly brings to life a forgotten world in which actors pantomimed Shakespeare and audiences responded with enthusiasm.' Roberta Pearson, University of Nottingham

Review of the hardback: 'Judith Buchanan's excellent book reconnects us with a lost world of Shakespearean performance. Through detailed, wide-ranging research and a high degree of imaginative sympathy she makes an unshakeable case for the validity and thematic richness of the silent Shakespeare film. It is instantly the standard work on its subject.' Luke McKernan, Curator of the Moving Image at the British Library